A lidar sensor is a light detection and ranging sensor. A lidar optical remote sensing module can measure the distance to a target (e.g., a landscape in front of the module) by irradiating the target with light pulses from a laser. Time of flight is the time that it takes photons to travel to the target and return after reflection. A receiver in the lidar module processes the reflected photons.
Lidar sensors are increasingly being incorporated into motor vehicles to provide autonomous or semi-autonomous driving abilities. When multiple laser sources are used in a lidar system or when multiple lidar sensors are used simultaneously there exist possibilities for interference between the optical signals used by the sensors. The sensors can be part of the same vehicle system or on different vehicles.
This prior art problem is illustrated in FIG. 1, which depicts a primary signal 100 and an interfering signal 102. A lidar sensor and associated electronics may be used to construct a detected signal histogram 104. The detected signal histogram 104 includes attributes 106, 108 and 110 of the primary signal 100. However, the detected signal histogram 104 also includes interfering signal attributes 112, 114 and 116.
Accordingly, there is a need to mitigate lidar interference between multiple lidar sources.